Coming Together
by Etar
Summary: Drabbles and short stories developing Lily and James' relationship. Rating subject to change.
1. Entry 1

**Title:** That's what makes life interesting  
**Pairing:** Lily/James  
**POV:** Lily  
**Rating:** K  
**Word Count:** 332

A/N: This is from a collection of old bits of L/J I've got on my computer, this ones pretty much complete but I'll be updating sporadically as I finish others. I hope you enjoy, and please review.

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James Potter seemed to personify everything that was wrong for me. He was rude, crude and seemed to deliberately misunderstand everyone around him. All of my pet peeves were drawn together in one person; attracting unwanted attention, being made flustered, not having the chance to explain, people who choose ignorance. The love of my life, when I first met him, was the worst human I could ever imagine meeting.

This was at 11, I wasn't that naïve, I hadn't heard about Voldemort but I knew there were some truly terrible people out there; the difference was I could empathise with most of those people, I could understand while condemning their actions. I could never understand James.

He could never understand me.

Looking back I think that's why I'm still with him two years later, why he's the man I'll marry and spend the rest of my life with.

He never understood my 'diddly-dee' music, my love of the wind, or my unwillingness to enter casual relationships, but he accepted them. My boyfriend has no opinion on Nuclear power but was brought up by conservative (though fair) parents. When it comes to current affairs we argue over everything- and I wouldn't have it any other way.

A perfect relationship is fine; a partner that agrees with everything you say is a dream to some people. I need someone who will challenge me, who, if I die tomorrow will be able to say we had a great time. My mother warned me that minds and energy go stale, she told me to find a man who will accept my faults but also help me improve on them. James, even when I hated him, has always done that. He makes my life interesting, like that odd umbrella at the station, or the street art off a side alley. People say our relationship gives them hope, I'm just glad we're here together.

Me and James are just because.

And a non-existent reason will last for ever.

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A/N: 'didly-dee' music refers to Irish folk, these pieces are really just developing the Lily character I have in my head, in the hope that one day I'll have the patience for more than a one-shot.  
Please review,  
-E


	2. Entry 2

_**A/N: Revised as of 19 June 2007. Nothing added, it just hopefully makes more sense!**_

**Title:** Love at first sight.  
**Pairing:** Lily/James  
**POV:** Lily  
**Rating:** K  
**Word Count:** 108

It was love at first sight, James is convinced it was. That balmy September morning he was waiting early at the station and it was exactly 10:35:42 when he first saw his carrot headed beauty pushing a trolley almost as big as she was down platform 9 3/4. His eyes eagerly followed her as she weaved in and out of the crowd, taking in her shiny hair, dainty hands, and shocking tie dye scarf; she must be muggle born- who else would let their eleven year old out dressed like _that_?

James watched as she broke into a quick run, a grin lighting up the station…

And crashed straight into a very solid brick wall.

She was alright for a girl.

L/JL/JL/JL/J

**Title:** Correlation  
**Pairing:** Lily/James  
**POV:** Lily  
**Rating:** K  
**Word Count:** 252

_3__rd__ Year_

"_Why can't you just grow up a bit?"_

Lily looked him in the eyes. She was honestly confused, why would James deliberately shun basic responsibility for himself. Knowing when his next piece of homework is due, when he's out past curfew and could be punished for it, even when his family would be expecting a letter.

"_Why should I Lily? You're grown up enough for the both of us. Why should I organise myself, when you organise me anyway?"_

That had haunted Lily. She'd never imagine she could be making it worse; and why hadn't he mentioned it before? Right, that's it then, it'd have to stop. Lily would kick the habit of a lifetime and stop trying to help. Why should she care if he spent the rest of his life in detention? Or if his mother worried herself to death? No, that was mean, of course she would care if James' mother died, and it did matter if he ended up in detention every evening, (if only because it would reflect badly on Gryffindor).

How to do it then? How to make sure James would suffer the consequences of his actions without bankrupting Gryffindor of it's house points?

She looked across the Common room to see him among a crowd of people, hair covered in green goo. That was it! She would continue to remind him the evening before he _absolutely _had to do something, and if it wasn't already done she would prank him.

He'd soon spot the correlation.

_A/n: Please review, I've had over 120 reads now and only 4 reviews (as of 19 June)- if it's truly awful I want to know!_

_On that note, a big thank you to _Wake up, commando17, _and especially _Toonsta _whose comments prompted this revision. If I ever get around to typing another one up (where's an extra hour when you need it?) it'll be dedicated to you._

_-E_


	3. Entry 3

**Title:** Strawberries  
**Pairing:** Lily/James  
**POV:** 3rd Person  
**Rating:** K  
**Word Count:** 345

"Why me James?"

It was the last weekend of 7th year and unexpectedly sunny for a British summer time. Lily and James had been 'canoodling' for over 6 months now and the school was still recovering from the shock. Of course, it had always been glaringly obvious that James liked Lily, and to some more obvious still that she just must like him back (why wouldn't she), but few people seriously expected it to happen.

Anyway; happen it did, and it produced some rather wonderful memories for all involved. One of these cherished memories was, for Lily and James at least, lying by the lake from noon to sunset on the last Saturday of their Hogwarts career. "Why me?" wasn't a question James had been expecting. They'd already done the 'why Lily finally changed her mind' part, but it hadn't occurred to him to ever question why he wanted Lily. He just did.

So he naturally found it a difficult question.

"Didn't you hear me James?" She repeated, "Why me?"

"Oh, I heard you the first time. I just didn't know what to say."

"You must _know_. How can you not know why you like me?"

"Oh, I know why I like you. I just can't explain it."

"Will you try? For me?"

"Well. You know how in Spain they grow those really big, juicy strawberries. With all kinds of pest-pest-muggle spells and things?"

"Yes…"

"And you know how they always look fantastic when you were showing me in the shops?"

"Yes James. I know all about strawberries."

"So you know how those ones always taste a bit, tart. Or sour?"

"Tart. Yes. Where is this going?"

"Well, what I'm trying to say is, all the girls I see are like those strawberries."

"Juicy and perfect looking?"

"But tart."

"Alright, juicy and perfect looking and tart."

"Exactly. You're not like that at all."

"I'm not?"

"No, you're like a proper home grown strawberry. Small, and cute, and ever so sweet."

"Oh."

"Does that answer your question Lily?"

"Yes James. Thank you. You're very sweet too."

A/N. Constructive Criticism is very much appreciated. Dedicated to Toonsta like I promised, Mrs Ralph because there's a semi-colon if you look very hard and my Mum for buying Kent Strawberries.


	4. Entry 4

Title: Self Inspection

Pairing: Lily/James

POV: 3rd Person

Rating: PG-13

Word Count: 527

A/n: This is actually two pieces lumped together. I don't have a time frame for the first one, but the second is set in **6****th**** year**.

Dedicated to _cupid-painted-blind_ who doesn't know this but reading her stuff on UR (Andromeda311 over there) provided the incentive for me to actually sit down and type this.

Lily had always been fascinated by 'Alice in Wonderland': the old wood cut drawings, the sheer nonsense of it all, the way Alice scolded herself even as she was falling down the rabbit hole. From the first time she read it, aged 7, she had tried it on herself.

"Stop crying this instant young lady!" the first time a teacher really shouted at her when she was nine… "Stop being such a wimp, do you want to end up all alone in a new place?" when the time came to run though the solid wall in King's Cross station … and, though she pretended she's never thought it- "You aren't good enough to be here. It's far safer at home." the first time she set eyes on James Potter.

She cried a lot that year.  
She didn't know why.  
School was fine, everyone at home was better than ever- Petty even had a boyfriend, no major exams were looming and she knew she had happy friends that loved her.

She told herself it was hormones.  
She carried tissues, not that she needed them once she learnt how to dry tears, but because she found tearing them to pieces under the desk helped.

When she woke early, in the dark, private hours between 3am and 6 she thought.She analysed herself.  
She tried to be objective: was she ignoring the fact that the Marauders had been quiet because it really wasn't important or because she didn't want it to be?  
She imagined she was searching deep inside her soul, or, failing that, the part of her brain that made her feel like this, tired and inexplicably sad.  
She wrote lists: things she knew about herself, things she suspected but could never quite prove, things she wanted to be.  
---

3. I'm paranoid. I imagine coach drivers who search school childrens' lunchboxes when they drop them off for school trips, or that the taxi drivers at Kings Cross have a camera so they can be far away as soon as an owl cage comes in sight.

4. I rather enjoy it.

5. I have fantasies about a boy I know, in reality, I would never, ever, date.

6. I scared to examine how I know that.

7. This list could, quite possibly, be evidence that I am slowly driving myself clinically insane.

8. I suspect I've achieved that already.

9. I know the above statement is false, but imagine I'd be a lot more interesting if it were true.

10. The only outcome I achieve from all this is that I sometimes believe: "Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation." is an excellent description of myself.

11. I can't really bring myself to care.

12. Saying more will not help me. Stopping will not either.  
---

She tried keeping the lists in a small box under her bed, along with old letters and newspaper cuttings.

On the last day of 6th year she burnt the box's contents. Seventh year would be a completely new start.

That's what she told herself, and there was nothing wrong with pretty lies.

A/n: quote from Oscar Wilde. Please review,** any** comments welcome.


	5. Entry 5

Title: Kings Cross

Pairing: Lily/James

POV: 3rd Person

Rating: PG-13

Word Count: 929

A/n Summer of 6th year, dedicated to Randommoment because I think I promised someone more, and it might well have been her.

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"Lily! Watch out!"

It was the summer of '76, young witches and wizards were poring out of Kings Cross Station and James Potter was just about to watch The Love Of His Life be mugged by a guy with shocking pink hair. Or so he thought.

Lily smiled as she scanned the station; she had spent all her life in London, and, amazing as the city was, she knew better than to stand around gawking. Honestly, if anything showed the Ministry's complete ignorance of anything muggle related it was the way they forced hundreds of confused magical families to make their way to Kings Cross several times a year. With the rise of muggle hatred, and theories that the Ministry were not _completely_ against the movement, she wondered if it wasn't intentional; after all, even some _muggles_ thought that the people you met in Kings Cross should be exterminated. She giggled. How ironic is that? Half the magical community thought she didn't deserve to live, and halve the muggle community felt the same. Who needs extremists, eh?

Just then she felt herself being lifted clean off the ground. She screamed.

"SIIIIDD! SID! Put me down NOW you great oaf!"

James looked on in horror as the tall man in torn clothing lifted The Love Of His Life into the air. He started running. Well, he attempted to start running. He'd never realised how busy Kings Cross was until he actually needed to get somewhere, funny that, but now Lily was screaming, and thrashing and…why was no one trying to help her? Were muggles really heartless animals? It sure looked like it.

Anyway, by now he had edged his way up to within punching distance and was beginning to reassess the situation. 1) Was Lily in pain, or just laughing? James had to admit he didn't really know her well enough to recognise any of her looks except the six levels of disapprovement. 2) Was taking on a tough guy, who was taller than him and had piercings in what James must assume were pretty painful places, really one of his better ideas? And 3) Was dissapprovement a real word?

"Excuse me! Put her down!"

Lily was spun around in the direction of a very out of place voice. She was back home, in the arms of a _very_ good friend, and no one who normally addressed Sid sounded quite so polite.

Imagine her surprise when it turned out to be James Potter, a mild annoyance she thought to have been far far away by now.

Sid was whispering (well, the closet Sid could manage to a whisper) in her ear, "Do you know this guy Lily? He looks like one of your types, he sticks out like a sore thumb"

"He certainly is, Sid, and I have a feeling it'll be far quicker if you'll just let me down for a minute"

"And have you run back up North? Not a chance darling"

"Ahum." By this point James' courage was wavering. If the man has going to mug her James suspected he would've done it by now. Still, Lily wasn't frowning yet, so perhaps they could actually have a decent conversation for once- even if she _was_ two foot up in the air.

"Hello Lily, fancy seeing you here?"

"I know James, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be home by now? Oh, and I apologise for Sid, it's just there's an important gig tonight and he claims he doesn't want me running back up North."

"Oh, ah, that's alright Lily. Hello there Sid."

"How are yer mate?"

"Um fine, thanks for asking. Anyway, I just came over to say hello."

"Well, hello then James, but I really think you ought to go. There's a march being held down the road, and I'm sure you're parents wouldn't want you caught up in it."

"Really? A march you say? I suppose we better be going then, don't worry Lily, I'll walk you home. Nice to meet you Sid."

"No James, _I'm_ going to meet the march, _you_ need to go home. Now."

"She's right mate, the NF are marching, we're going to meet them, there's a sit out actually, and you better go home. I'm sure you'll see Lily again next September, unless I can finally convince her to run away with me of course." He winked. James didn't feel reassured.

"It sounds dangerous Lily, and I can't let you get hurt, so I'll just walk you home and floo from there, my parents won't mind as long as I'm home for tea."

"James, why on Earth are you assuming I'd let you walk me home even if I wasn't set on meeting this march? We hardly talk at school, at most we exchange empty pleasantries, and if it's escaped your notice somehow I'm with Sid, between us we'll be fine. Now go home, and I'm sure I'll see you in September."

"Ready now, darling? We need to go"

"Well bye then." James called after the retreating shabby black jacket who was carrying The Love Of His Life away from him for another summer. In a moment of sudden (although, being a wizard, not divine) revelation James felt he finally got it, The Love Of His Life didn't love him. In fact, she didn't seem to care about him at all. That was what she had meant by the 'I don't want to be with people who believe that' and 'Do you ever really listen?' comments over the years.

He needed to speak to his friends.

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A/n: Well, what do you think? I can't claim it's completely accurate for the time but my parent's new Kings Cross and it always struck me as a really stupid place to make the 11 year olds get the train for the first time (although it is the line North). Anyway, coming soon, hopefully, is James talking to his friends (with a mention of the punky girl Sirius uses to scare his mother).

Thank you so much to all my **5** reviewers, and however has pushed my stats to 548.

Any questions, errors, deeply held beliefs that I should be struck down with lightning please click the button below and **let me know**.


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